ex·e·cu·tion/ˌɛksɪˈkyuʃən/ Show Spelled [ek-si-kyoo-shuhn] Show IPA
noun
1. the act or process of executing.
2. a mode or style of performance; technical skill, as in music: The hunter’s execution of the shot was perfect.

So as some of you know already, I use my tree stand, blind, or just sitting against a tree as my prayer closet. Most of the time early in the morning I pray for the days events, for friends and family, and for safety on all hunts. I have written in the past about previous times where I have been praying for animals to come my way and many times this happens. I have been successful in many of those hunts and have harvested the animals. So I was playing a hunt back through my head: I was sitting in my tree stand opening morning. I did my usual prayers for safety and success for all in our group. I had seen a few deer but nothing that was shootable. My dad decided to get out of his stand after a couple of hours and came to me to see what I had seen. I told him about the few deer I had seen, he had seen the same ones. He was going to go back to the cabin so I got down and went over and sat in his stand for a while. After about 30 mins or so I started praying for God to bring me a nice buck. Well true to Gods word. Psalms 37:4 (KJV) Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. I heard a stick snap. there he was a really nice 8 pointer. I hurried my gun up he was on a b-line and before I knew it he was close. I pulled the gun up put the crosshairs behind the shoulder and my first shot rang out. The deer ran about 50 yards and stopped I pulled up again and bang another shot off the deer ran quick out of sight. I was really excited, my heart pumping as I thanked God for this opportunity. I calmed myself and after a little bit climbed down to check the blood trail. I had a good trail at first and then it started to fade. I went back to the cabin and got help to find it but to no avail, no matter how many days I spent searching I never found it. I was trying to figure out why God would bring me this animal and then not allow me to find it. I didn’t understand until a few weeks ago when I was reminiscing about this hunt. God and the Holy Spirit put this upon my heart. God can open many doors for us, as a matter a fact he opens doors for us every day. Some times we choose his will and go through those doors sometimes we don’t and that door closes. When he opens a door for us like bringing me this deer I wanted so bad or when he opens a business door, or friend door. We still have to execute, God can not be expected to do everything for us. So God can bring me animal after animal but if I don’t execute the shot correctly, then I have not done my part. I can’t blame God for not letting me find this animal God did his part. Now that I have learned this I make sure I do my due diligence in sighting in my guns, bows, slingshots whatever it maybe and also make sure I take my time and make good ethical shots even if it means passing on a big buck. Lets all know that God can give us our desires but sometimes we must execute our parts to keep them forever.

So as most of us know in michigan, this past weekend was opening of the Firearm deer season. A bunch of us guys got together and headed to the great northern woods for hunting, great food and a little razzing. So I’m gonna tell you a little story that let the guys razz away lol. Opening morning we all go out to our stand and one in our party was hunting the farthest stand back. He was sitting there when a nice 6 point came in. He was patient but the buck wouldn’t come in he just hung back in the brush. The buck came a little closer and it appeared he had a clear shot but tricky through the brush. He aimed steady and with a loud bang the gun went off. The buck stepped back and stood behind the brush. He then racked his bolt action slowly to eject the cartridge pushed the bolt forward quietly. The buck went off unscaved. So as he sat there looking at the thick spot he tried to shoot through, a nice spike horn came in. The buck eased his way closer. There he was broadside at 25 yards. The shot was completely clear. He raised his gun, put the crosshairs behind the shoulder. Then click !!!!! The gun did not fire. He immediately realized when he racked the 1st cartridge out quietly, he did not rack the bolt back far enough so the next cartridge did not load. Double disappointment for opening morning. Although we have all felt that pain in some form or another we had to razz him. What fun is deer camp with out some fun. The next 2 days were full of laughs and digs this time at his expense. There is nothing like deer camp, it’s the best experience for the sportsman. Like my buddy says there is no trout camp, bear camp, no rabbit camp. There is only one camp and that’s deer camp… Tell me your stories

November 15 in Michigan is a day everyone know, even non hunters. 400,000 gun hunters head out to the woods. This is a thought I had As I sat quietly 20 feet closer to God. It was just getting light as legal shooting time approached. Right at legal light a shot was fired in the distance, then another, then another. I sat in my stand watching 2 deer under me. As they walked through the woods unsuspectingly more shots rang out around the area just none were mine. As the deer left my area a though came to my mind. Who were those people shooting, what were they shooting at?, a buck of a lifetime, a spike, a doe, did the shot run true, did they miss. Was it the person reading this right now. I don’t know, but what I do know is as I’ve wrote before it’s all about the experience whether it’s me and my family enjoying a harvest or whether it’s you and your family. A couple years ago, I was up north sitting in my blind when a shot close to me rang out.. The shot came from the property directly behind us, just after the shot a loud whoooooooooooooo whoooooooooooooooo rang out through the woods. I knew at that point that one lucky hunter just shot a huge whitetail buck. I invisioned all the large bucks on trail camera wondering which one it was. A lot of people would be mad they didn’t get the big buck, I just thought of the experience he must be having and relived some of my past experiences and encounters with bucks. Although I didn’t harvest a buck those days, they were great days to be in the woods. Make sure you teach your children to hunt and to learn there weapons inside and out. They will have the best experiences of there lives in the woods. Keep shooting, hopefully your shots are the ones I hear. Congratulations to all who harvested there animals this year, if you did not harvest maybe you can relive your experiences and find it wasen’t such a bad year after all. I will leave you with this saying I once seen.. Kids that hunt and fish don’t mug old ladies.

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When senseless violence hits the presses it’s just a matter of minutes on any social media site there’s a flooding in about gun laws, pro or against, this made me sick. I’m disappointed in my conservative brothern.

I often say the left side is ignorant. Not this time. The pro gun community pounces on it too like a dog on a dropped juicy 2 pound t-bone.

Not that the left side spewed their propaganda, they did, but I expected that.

Why? To get a one up? To prove a point? Whatever it was it was in bad taste and wasn’t the time to talk about politics.

Over 20 people lost their lives, mostly children, in a recent tragedy and you want to go on a social media site an express your political views?

Shame on you.

People need to start to think on what they post. I seen numerous posts, or copy…

It’s another chilly November 10th morning 15 feet up in my tree stand. You might say whats so special about the 10th of november? Well 2 things. 1 it’s my birthday, and 2, 9 times out of 10 it’s during the rut. As I sat in my tree stand as a fairly new archer. I can remember it like it was yesterday. There was no action, no deer, just a few squirrels and birds around. Well you might say whats so special about that. Well at this time in my life our family did not really celebrate birthdays, I had not gotten a present in years. Prior to that I had always received presents so it had been kinda a big change for a kid. I’m not saying that presents have to be given or that I was lacking as a child I was definitely not. It was just a change. So enough of that and back to the story. As I sat there in one of my favorite places, a tree stand with my bow. I started to pray as I do 99% of the time even to this day. The tree stand is like my closet as it says in the bible, its dark, usually pin drop quiet, it’s a great place for prayer. My prayer that day was (I pray to you heavenly Father on this great morning that you have given us, I thank you for letting me out in this great creation of yours, enjoying everything you have made. Father I ask you today to bring me a buck for my birthday, I have not received anything for my birthday in the last years and this is all I ask for today. In Jesus name AMEN. ) I then opened my eyes and scanned the woods for ever so slight movement. Nothing….. So I continued to scan for the next ten minutes or so until out of the corner of my left eye I caught a deer walking. I looked closer and it was coming from about 100 yards out walking to my stand. The deer approached closer and closer and at about 60 yards I could see a small rack on its head. A six point, I was soooo excited and began to shiver a little. The buck continued to approach my bait. I grabbed my bow as the deer turned right on the trail coming to the bait. I drew back my bow and tried to remember all the lessons my dad had tought me. Again and again draw smooth, pull the pin to behind the shoulder, take a breath and let 1/2 out and hold. release…… My release was true and I had arrowed the basket rack six point a little back but still a kill shot. I began to shake tremendously and immediately after began to thank God for such a great buck. I walked back to the cabin and got my dad and uncle to find the deer. We tracked the deer in the snow for a while, at one point I was praying again to find the deer. Then it appeared a nice blood trail up the hill, a small 6 point laying in a hole. I was so happy as my dad congratulated me and as I said to my uncle ” I think you should gut it for me since its my birthday” I didn’t have to gut just drag. I was sooo happy that day and was to this date one of the best birthdays I can remember. The only one that strikes me more was when my dad gave me his 7mm rifle out of the blue on my birthday. So for all you out there that enjoyed this story. Remember that it does not have to be a 23 point non-typical to become the best memories of your life. Also, I suggest that you try prayer in the stand it will change your life trust me….

This past June, me and my family headed north to our little cabin to embark on a deer blind building project. We spent the weekend working hard on the blind that is now called the TAJ. The reason is we already have a Hilton. So anyway, as we spent the weekend working hard, building the blind and our relationships I spotted my brothers hat. This hat was camo and just above the bill it said Be Still….. I told him I love your hat, did i ever tell you the story about that? He said no. I told my brother remind me later and I will so here it is later and here is the story. It was a perfect November morning, not too cold, not too hot. I sat perched 16 feet closer to God once again. I sat in my stand in the dark praying for a great hunt, praying for my family, praying for protection, ectt…. The sun started to peek and a few squirrels scampered about, Even a few Turkeys came out of roost and walked by. This morning was different than others, Why? Well because most other mornings I would have seen up to 20 deer by now. This morning none. As usual I was still praying, but for some reason I was I guess you would say testing God too much. I would say prayers about having authority over the animals, prayers that God is no respector of persons and if he brought forth deer for you know so and so he should do it for my. I was commanding deer to come to me. Maybe this sounds weird to some but I guess I am testing my Faith as well. After all this prayer and nothing still no deer. It was getting later in the morning and I was ready to pack it up but I started praying again harder, testing more and more, when I heard clear as day!!! I mean clear as day!!!!! Be still and know that I am God!!!!!!!! I instantly shut up, Not even 1 minute later here comes several deer to my right and a couple nice bucks with them. I watched these beautiful bucks and does walk right in front of me at about 60 yards. The deer then went out of sight.. Although I didnt’t arrow one of these giant bucks this morning, I really learned alot about God, myself, and prayer. So I encourage you all to definatly use that time in the stand especially in the dark early in the morning when it’s dead quiet and probably the best time to hear God. Be still, Pray, and always know he is GOD!!!!!!!! your wildest dreams may come true.

Psalm 46:10 NIV

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

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Psalm 46:10 NIV

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”